Reclining chair with folded leg-rest and control



June 23, 1959 F. F. SCHILIEPHACKE 2,891,600

\ RECLINING cHAiR wrm FOLDED LEG REST AND cou'raox.

Filed Jan; 2a. 1958 INVENTOR E! FR/DZ'JGF E SCHL/iP/MCKE ATTORNEY United States Patent RECLINING CHAIR FOLDED EEG REST AND CONTROL Fridtjof F. Schliephacke, Berlin-Schmargendorf, Germany,tassignor to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Application January 28, 1958, Serial No. 711,635

3 Claims. (Cl, 155-106) The present invention relates to reclining chairs of the type including a body-supporting unit havinga seat, backrest and leg-rest mounted ona support for coordinated movement and in particular to'an improved leg re'st and control arrangement for suchreclining chairs.

Thewell known reclining chair comprises a support, a body-supporting unit including a seat and a back-rest movably or rockably mounted on' the-support, and a leg-rest and control arrangement coordinated to the body-supporting'unit for elevatin'g the leg rest as a function of the reclining movement of the chair. Of recent'times direct the problems-which has faced the'indu'st'ry is to -design a reclining chair of a modern and stream-lined appearance. Thisproblem-may be met in part'by 'the d'esi'gn of a chair in which'the cliairframe doesnot exte'ndfrom-the level of the seat down to" the floor; but rather is reduced in overall heigh'th and supported by depending feet or legs such that the area beneath the chair is open'ed up; thereby contributing to the modemappe'aran'ce of the chair design. In-orderto' incorporate: an adequate leg rest iif this type of chair, which legrest will bes'tored substantially within'the outline of th'e frame, resort has been made to a number of varied. arrangements; for example, a twop'art 'leg-rest having a leg-rest proper and a leg-rest extension which are arranged relative to-each other to 'bestored within the outline ofv the chain frame. In this type' of chair the leg-rest and the' leg-rest extension are coordinated to the movement of thexbody supporting unit such that the. leg-rest extension is=brought into alignment with the leg-rest proper,and both the legerest and its extension: are elevated in' response to 1 reclining movement of the chair. Although this approach-to theproblem presents an entirely feasible solution; there are: situations where costrand/or design requiretnents preclude the employmentof a two-part legrrest'and'necessitatesa realization of'bothrthe design andfunc'tionalrequirements for a satisfactory reclining chair: using a one-piece leger'est of sufiicient length to adequately; supportthe legs of the chair: occupant when elevatedi Broadly, it is an object ofthe,presentinventionto provide a reclining,- chair havingmninrprovod leg-rest and control arrangement. Specifically, it is within the contemplation ofthe presentinvention toprovidea reclining chair inwhich theleg-testis folded back beneath-the chair. seat? in a rearwardly inclined" stored position accommodated within the outline.- of the chair-frame, which chair frameis spaced above the floor, with improved-linkage mechanisms for quickly -rnovingtthelegnestout of the stored positionand through acomparatively longer are into the variousz elevated legrsupporting positions.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features of the present inventiomtmyz reclining chair includesa-supporha body-supporting unit including a seat and back-rest mounted on the supportfor inclining and'reclining movement respectively,-.a leg-rest disposed in a stored position; folded back bcneaththe seat and extending downwardly and/rearwardlytfrom its upper end toward its -lower=.end, antLn eansoperatively connected --to 2,891,600 Patented June 23, 1959 ice I 2 the upper end of the leg-rest and mounting the leg-rest on the support for pivotal movement about a fixed" axis from the stored position through a' downward arc to an intermediate position and then through an upward arc to'v'ariousel evate'd leg-supporting positions projecting forwardly of the fixed pivot. A leg-rest control linkage is operatively connected between the body-supporting unit and the leg-rest for effecting pivotal movement of the leg-rest about the fixed axis through the intermediateposition and into various elevated leg-supporting positions in response to the reclining movement while seat control means are operatively connected to the seat for effecting inclining movement of the seat in response to the reclining movement. The leg-rest control linkage includes a controlling link, means pivotally mounting the controlling link on the support at a further fixed pivot for turning movement, the controlling link being disposed in an inclined position with its upper end forwardly of the further pivot and its lower end rearwardly of the further fixed pivot when the leg-rest is in the stored position. The upper end" of the controlling link moves rearwardly through an ascending arc and through a descending arc in resp'onset'o turning movement of the controlling link. A- connecting link is pivot'ally' connected'to the sea'tan'd to a controlling link adjacent the upper end thereof and a further connecting link is pivotally connected to the legrest and to the controlling link adjacent the lower end thereof'whereby arearwardly'dii'ected force applied to the upper end of the controlling link in rcsponseto rearward movement of the seat is transmitted into turning movemerit of the controlling link such that the lower end thereof imparts a forwardly directed thrust to the legre's'tL Advahtageously, the first connecting link and the seat are arranged such that the turning movement of the controlling link does not alfect the inclining movement of the seat.

The above briefdescription, as wellas further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of a number of illustrative embodiments'of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing; wherein:

Fig. l is an'eleva tional View, with parts broken away, of a reclining chair embodying'features of the present invention; the chair being shown in the upright sitting position; and

Fig: 2 is an elevational view similar to Fig 1' butshowing the chair in'a' reclining position.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown an improved reclining chair iii-accordance with the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 10; which includes a'cha'ir'frame or support 12 havingspaced-apart side members 14 connected by suitable cross braces 16. The chair frame 1 2'is supported above the levelof the floor by four depending legs 18.

Movably or, rockably'mounted on thechai'r frame or support 12 i's'a body-supporting'unit 20, including a backrest'zz'anda seat'24i' The'back' res't 22 ismonnted adjacentitslowe'r end for reclining movement on aback-rest pivot 2"6 such' that the back-rest22 may be moved from theupright position Fig; 1 into the reclined position of Fig. 2. Thesea't24ds mounted adjacent itsr'e'arw'ardend for inclining movement at a seat pivot 23 onthe backrest 22; The seat ivot 28 is spacedabove" theback rest pivot 26 such that the seat moves reanwardlyin response to the reclining movement In this embodiment th'eseat pivot 28'is disposedforwar'dly of a dead-center position vertically above the back-rest pivot 26 such that'the rear portion of the seat is somewhat elevated in response to the reclining movement, as may be appreciated by progressively' -inspecti-ngnFigsrl and 2. Operatively-connected to or engaging the seat 24 is a seat control means, generally designated by the reference numeral 30, which is effective to impart a prescribed inclination to the seat as a function of the reclining movement. In this illustrative embodiment the seat control means 30 includes a cam plate 32 supported on the crossbrace 16 and formed with an upwardly and rearwardly inclined cam track 34 having spaced dwell sections 34a, 34b. Riding on the cam track 34 is a roller 36 which is journaled on an axle 38 carried on the underside of the seat 24. In the upright sitting position of the chair illustrated in Fig. l, the roller 36 is in the lower dwell section 34a; and in response to reclining movement the roller moves up the cam track 34 into the upper dwell section 34b. It will thus be appreciated that the seat 24 experiences a compound inclining movement under control of the mechanism 30 in association with the arrangement of the seat pivot 23 relative to the back-rest pivot 26. By properly proportioning the seat-supporting and control arrangement, the inclination of the seat may be coordinated to the reclining movement of the leg-rest. In some instances very little inclination of the seat is desired while in other instances a greater inclination of the seat is desired. Either of these conditions may be met by appropriate proportioning of the seat control arrangement.

In accordance with the present invention a leg-rest 40 is disposed in a stored position folded back beneath the seat 24 and extending in an inclined plane downwardly and rearwardly from its upper end 40a to its lower end 4%. The inclination of the leg-rest 40 is determined by design considerations and is selected such that the required leg-rest may be accommodated entirely within the chair frame 12 when the chair is in the upright sitting position of Pig. 1, with the upper end 40a of the leg-rest 40 being disposed beneath the forward portion or edge 24a of the seat 24 and the lower end 4% of the leg-rest being disposed within the outline of the chair frame and at a level above the under surface thereof. Operatively connected to the upper end of the leg-rest 40 is a pivot 42 carried on the chair frame or support 12 which mounts the leg-rest 40 on the support for pivotal movement about a fixed axis from the stored position illustrated in Fig. 1, through a downward arc to an intermediate depending position extending below the pivot 42, and then through an upward arc to various elevated leg-rest supporting positions projecting forwardly of the pivot 42.

A leg-rest control linkage, generally designated by the reference numeral 41, is operatively connected between the body-supporting unit 28 and the leg-rest 40 for effecting pivotal movement of the leg-rest 40 about the fixed axis 42 and through the intermediate position into the various leg-supporting positions forwardly of the chair frame in response to the reclining movement of the chair. The leg-rest control linkage or arrangement 42' includes a control link 44 which is disposed in an inclined position and takes the form of a double-arm lever having an upper arm 44a and a lower arm 44b. The controlling link or lever 44 is pivotally mounted intermediate its arms on the chair frame or support 12 at a further fixed pivot 46 such that the lower arm 4427 may translate through a downward arc in response to a first phase of a reclining movement and thereafter through an upward arc in response to a further phase of the reclining movement. The upper arm 44a of the controlling link or lever 44 serves as a driver and is operatively connected to the seat 24 of the body-supporting unit by a first connecting link 48 having a pivotal connection 50 at its forward end to the upper arm 44a of the controlling lever 44 and a pivotal connection 52 at its rearward end to the seat 24. The lower arm 44b of the controlling lever is connected to the leg-rest at a point spaced from the fixed leg-rest pivot 42 by a second connecting link 54 having a pivotal connection 56 at its rearward end to the arm 44b and having a pivotal connection 58 at its forward end to the leg-rest 40. In the stored position of the leg-rest 40, the

control linkage or arrangement 41 consisting of the links 44, 48, 54 is in a folded Z-shaped configuration, with the movable pivots 52, 58 rather close to the fixed pivot 46 of the leg rest control 41. In the elevated position of the leg-rest, the spacing of the pivots 52, 58 increase relative to the fixed link pivot 46 with the forward portion 24a of the seat moving rearwardly relative to the fixed leg-rest pivot 42 such that an effectively longer legrest support is achieved as a function of the reclining movement of the chair.

A typical sequence of operations will now be described to facilitate a more thorough understanding of the present invention:

When the chair occupant is seated and leans against the back-rest, the back-rest 22 pivots about the pivot 26 in a rearwardly directed arc and a compound movement is imparted to the seat which is inclined in accordance with the design of its control arrangement. Depending upon the design of the chair, the angular relationship between the seat and back-rest may be changed in response to movement between the positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. As the seat 24 moves rearwardly, a rearwardly directed pulling force is applied to the upper connecting link 48 which in turn imparts a turning movement to the controlling link or lever 44 which causes the driving arm 44a to move through an ascending rearward are (clockwise about the pivot 46) and causes the driver arm 44!: to move through a descending forward are. In response to a first phase of the reclining movement, the leg-rest 40 moves out of its stored position to the depending intermediate position wherein the leg-rest is vertically below the fixed pivot 42. In this position the controlling link or lever 44 of the linkage 42 is substantially upright and the driving arm 44a is in position to translate through a downward and rearward arc, while the driven arm 44b is in position to translate through an upward and forward arc. During the succeeding phase of the reclining movement, the leg-rest is brought from the intermediate depending position into the various elevated positions extending forwardly of the chair, as illustrated in Fig. 2. During the movement of the leg-rest from the intermediate depend ing position into the various elevated positions, the driving arm 44a of the controlling link 44 is moving downwardly and rearwardly. The connecting link 48 effectively couples the seat 24 to the controlling link 44 but does not couple the movement of the controlling link 44 to the forward portion of the seat and in this sense the connecting link 43 serves as a compensating connection between the controlling link 44 and the seat 24 such that the turning movement of the controlling link 44 does not contribute to or modify the inclining movement of the seat. The requirement that the controlling link 44 move past the vertical or dead-center position is imposed upon the linkage 41 in that it is necessary to turn the leg-rest 40 through an appreciable are somewhat in excess of as compared to reclining chairs of the type in which the leg-rest is normally disposed in a substantially vertical or upright position beneath the forward portion of the seat in the sitting position of the chair. The reclining chair is returned to the upright sitting position by the chair occupant when a downward force is exerted on the legrest.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be used without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the manner and scope of the contribution herein.

What I claim is:

1. In a reclining chair including a support, a bodysupporting unit including a seat and back-rest mounted on said support for reclining movement, a leg-rest disposed in a stored position folded rearwardly beneath said seat, means operatively connected to the upper end of said leg-rest and mounting said-leg-rest on said support for pivotal movement about a fixed axis from said stored position behind said fixed pivot through a downward arc to an intermediate position and then through an upward arc to various elevated leg-supporting positions projecting forwardly of said fixed pivot, and a leg-rest control linkage operatively connected between said body-supporting unit and said leg-rest for effecting pivotal movement of said leg-rest about said fixed axis through said intermediate position and into various elevated leg-supporting positions in response to reclining movement of said bodysupporting unit, the spacing between said fixed axis and the forward end of said seat increasing in response to said reclining movement whereby a longer leg-rest support is achieved as a function of said reclining movement, said leg-rest control linkage including a controlling link pivotally mounted on said support at a further fixed pivot between its ends and disposed in an inclined position with its upper end forwardly of said further pivot and its lower end rearwardly of said further fixed pivot, means including a first connecting link pivotally connecting said seat to controlling link adjacent the upper end thereof, and means including a second connecting link pivotally connecting said leg-rest to said controlling link adjacent the lower end thereof whereby a rearwardly directed force applied to said upper end of said seat in response to rearward movement of said seat is transmitted into a forwardly directed thrust on said leg-rest.

2. In a reclining chair including a support, a bodysupporting unit including a seat and back-rest mounted on said support for inclining and reclining movement respectively, a leg-rest disposed in a stored position folded rearwardly beneath said seat and extending downwardly and rearwardly from its upper end toward its lower end, means operatively connected to the upper end of said leg-rest and mounting said leg-rest on said support for pivotal movement about a fixed axis from said stored position through a downward arc to an intermediate position and then through an upward arc to various elevated leg-supporting positions projecting forwardly of said fixed pivot, a leg-rest control linkage operatively connected between said body-supporting unit and said leg-rest for effecting pivotal movement of said leg-rest about said fixed axis through said intermediate position and into various elevated leg-supporting positions in response to said reclining movement, and seat control means operatively connected to said seat for effecting inclining movement of said seat in response to said reclining movement, said leg-rest control linkage including a controlling link, means pivotally mounting said controlling link on said support at a further fixed pivot for turning movement, said controlling link being disposed in an inclined position with its upper end forwardly of said further pivot and its lower end rearwardly of said further fixed pivot when said leg-rest is in said stored position, said upper end moving rearwardly through an upward arc and then through a downward arc in response to turning movement of said controlling link, means including a first connecting link pivotally connecting said seat to controlling link adjacent the upper end thereof, and means including a second connecting link pivotally connecting said leg-rest to said controlling link adjacent the lower end thereof whereby a rearwardly directed force applied to said upper end of said controlling link in response to rearward movement of said seat is transmitted into turning movement of said controlling link such that the lower end thereof imparts a forwardly directed thrust to said leg-rest, said first connecting link serving as a compensating connection between said controlling link and said seat such that the turning movement of said controlling link does not affect the inclining movement of said seat.

3. In a reclining chair including a support, a bodysupporting unit including a seat and back-rest mounted on said support for inclining and reclining movement respectively, a leg-rest disposed in a stored position folded back beneath said seat and extending downwardly and rearwardly from its upper end toward its lower end, means operatively connected to the upper end of said legrest and mounting said leg-rest on said support for pivotal movement about a fixed axis from said stored position through a downward arc to an intermediate position and then through an upward are to various elevated legsupporting positions projecting forwardly of said fixed pivot, a leg-rest control linkage operatively connected between said body-supporting unit and said leg-rest for effecting pivotal movement of said leg-rest about said fixed axis through said intermediate position and into various elevated leg-supporting positions in response to said reclining movement, and seat control means on said support and operatively connected to said seat for effecting inclining movement of said seat in response to said reclining movement, said leg-rest control linkage including a controlling link in the form of a double arm lever, means intermediate the ends of said double arm lever pivotally mounting said lever on said support at a further fixed pivot for turning movement, said lever being dissposed in an inclined position with its upper arm extending forwardly of said further pivot and its lower arm rearwardly of said further fixed pivot when said leg-rest is in said stored position, said upper arm moving rearwardly through an ascending arc and through a descending are in response to turning movement of said lever, a first connecting link pivotally connecting said seat to said upper arm of said lever and a second connecting pivotally connecting said leg-rest to said lower arm of said lever whereby a rearwardly directed force applied to said upper arm in response to rearward movement of said seat is transmitted into turning movement of said lever such that said lower arm imparts a forwardly directed thrust to said leg-rest, said first connecting link serving as a compensating connection between said lever and said seat such that the turning movement of said lever does not affect the inclining movement of said seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,293 Streit July 12, 1898 822,164 Tarwater et al. May 29, 1906 948,029 Trimble Feb. 1, 1910 FOREIGN PATENTS 782,744 Great Britain Sept. 11, 1957 1,131,243 France Oct. 15, 1956 2,670,030 Great Britain Feb. 23, 1954 

